Authorities released audio Friday of 911 calls received during Monday's shooting that killed a teacher and student at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino.
On the recordings, a caller can be heard describing the scene at the school to a dispatcher, providing a description of the shooter and details about the location of the shooting. The unidentified caller told the dispatcher she was in an office at the time.
"We have an active shooter. One of our teachers got shot in the classroom," the caller said. "He's Mrs. Smith's husband."
The shooter, Cedric Anderson, fatally shot himself after killing his estranged wife, teacher Karen Elaine Smith, and an 8-year-old boy, Jonathan Martinez, in a special-education classroom at North Park Elementary. Another student, 9-year-old Nolan Brandy, was shot and is recovering and in good spirits, his family said Wednesday.
According to the San Bernardino Police Department, Anderson fired 10 shots, stopping to reload his six-shot revolver midway through.
The 911 call, one of several about the shooting, was received at about 10 a.m. Monday. Within seven minutes, eight officers had responded to the school, accordin to police.
The 911 caller told the dispatcher the shooting occurred in room B1, which is where one of the first officers on scene was directed when he arrived.
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"I could still smell the gunpowder," said San Bernardino Officer Rob Snyder, who saw the deceased victims on the floor.
Another child, Nolan, had significant injuries, but was still breathing.
"We just needed to get him out of that scene, so that we could provide care," Snyder said.
At the time of the shooting, Smith, teacher's aide Jennfier Downing and another aide were working with tables of four to five students. Downing said she had no idea Anderson was in the room until she heard the first shot.
Anderson kept firing in the seconds it took for Downing to process what was happening. She saw Smith, 53, slumped over at the desk where she had been sitting with her group.
Downing told The Associated Press she saw the 9-year-old get shot.
"So in my mind, I'm thinking 'He's shooting anybody and everybody,'" she said.
At some point Anderson "stopped, and messed with his gun" and that's when she fled with two students. Later, Downing would find out from the other aide that Anderson tried to fire on other targets after Smith.
"She said he raised the gun to her -- and it clicked. He was out" of bullets, Downing said.
Earlier this year, just a month into their marriage, Anderson accused his wife of infidelity -- though police have said there is no evidence of that. When he failed to win her back, he shot and killed her, police Chief Jarrod Burguan said.
Smith told family members that Anderson had threatened her after she moved out, but she didn't take him seriously and thought he was just seeking attention, Burguan said.
